Israel drops Sde Teiman case, backlash erupts

IDF Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itay Offir’s Thursday decision to cancel the indictment against the five defendants of the Sde Teiman case has led to mixed reactions.

It is important to understand that the defendants were not exonerated. There have been contrary reports about what the medical records say regarding the detainee at Sde Teiman, and the Israeli public will likely never know the full extent of what occurred.

However, the indictments were dropped on the basis of ‘Haganah min hatzedek’ – abuse of process, or when one’s right to a fair trial has been violated.

In this case, the defendant’s rights were violated when former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who was directly involved in the investigation, leaked footage of the defendants to the media in what she called “an attempt to confront the false propaganda against the law enforcement officials in the military.”

“The blood libel known as the ‘Sde Teiman affair’ against the soldiers of Force 100, which defamed Israel around the world in an unprecedented way, has come to an end,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated after the indictments were dropped.

“It is unacceptable that it took so long to close a case that was conducted in a criminal manner against IDF soldiers who are confronting the worst of our enemies. The State of Israel must pursue its enemies, not its heroic soldiers.”

“Justice had been served,” Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X/Twitter, praising Offir’s decision.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also applauded the decision, adding, “Now all that’s left is to ensure that the ousted Military Advocate General stands trial.”

The committee called the ruling “the latest in a long line of actions that whitewash abuses against detainees whose frequency and severity have worsened since October 7, 2023.”

“The victim’s condition on arrival at the hospital leaves no doubt about the assault he suffered at the detention center. Camera footage released to the public clearly shows that the perpetrators were his captors, who for long minutes abused him with blood-chilling cruelty.”